Undying Love?
by Nozomi Higurashi
Summary: Warning: Yaoi! Yugi is constantly beaten by Ushio and his gang. His only hope is that the legend of the Sennen Puzzle is true and he will never be alone once it is complete. He has no idea that the only one who can complete it is the spirit's soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: *bored voice I do not own Yugioh or any Yugioh characters. I do not make any money from this fanfic. *brightens* However, I'm pleased to say I was inspired by a fellow deviant and this plot is all mine (save for the inspiration coming from Vampire Yami being sealed in the Sennen Puzzle only to have Yugi-chan free him). xDDD

Warning: Contains Yaoi, Lemons, and the usual Tea-bashing. (I've read some good Tea-bashing fics, and I have some new torture up my sleeve for her. No longer will she be finished off so quickly... *maniacal laughter* Me: Shaddup, you crazy kook! *Dr. Frankstein from Young Frankstein pops his head out* Willy Wonka: Sorry, but IT'S ALI-! *hits him over the head with a wooden mallet* Me: That should shut him up long enough to write this...)

Yugi cried as he lay on the ground, bloody and bruised from yet another beating by Ushio and his gang of thugs. Shakily, the tri-colored haired teen got to his feet and slowly shuffled to the Game Shop just blocks away where he lived. It was always like this whenever Jii-san went on a business trip. Yugi never told the old man about his problem, not wanting their livelihood to suffer because he was too weak to protect himself.

The petite teen somehow made it up the stairs to his bedroom. Like usual after a beating, he sat at his desk and worked on a golden puzzle he had worked on for the past 8 years. He knew it was dangerous to fall asleep with a concussion, and he always waited until he was sure he didn't have one before sleeping the injuries off. He was just grateful he was a fast healer: In fact, it had gotten faster as of late, especially around the time he only had a few pieces of the puzzle left. He figured the magic said to be contained within it was trying to protect him somehow, and that only spurred him to try and complete it faster.

Click! In went another piece.

Click! Just two more.

Click! Yugi reached for the last piece, one bearing the mark of the Horus eye. Yugi stared at it for a moment, mesmerized, before placing the last piece where it belonged.

Suddenly, the concussion Yugi had feared hit him like a brick wall. He began to pass out, his last thoughts before falling unconscious were for someone to help him. The Horus eye glowed and a dark form began to materialize behind the fallen boy. A man looking very much like Yugi, only with tanned skin, lightning bolts in his hair, and crimson eyes appear, looking at the boy in concern. The mysterious stranger picked up the boy and placed him on the bed, checking his forehead. The boy didn't appear to have a fever... He used his shadow magic to check for unseen injuries and found the boy's concussion. It was pretty bad. The boy would die soon without help.

The tan-skinned man bit his thumb, contemplating what to do. His fang drew blood from the digit he was biting it so hard, and he quickly removed the finger from his mouth, an idea forming. Humans became vampires when one drank the blood of an impure human. Would the blood of a pure-hearted vampire be able to save the boy?

The vampire placed his bleeding thumb into the boy's mouth, hoping this would work. He didn't want his destined soulmate to die before he got to know him. The creature's blood trickled down Yugi's throat and he coughed. The boy stirred and his eyes began to open. Breathing a sigh of relief, the vampire returned to the puzzle in a flash of golden light, not feeling this was the best time to introduce himself.

YES! A demonic form of Yami with a pure heart! xDDD You knew this HAD to be coming someday! Oh, and like my little spoof in the beginning? I watched the movie "Young Frankstein" recently, and couldn't resist due to the title I gave this fic. xDDD


	2. Chapter 2

Yugi opened blurry eyes in time to see a dark form disappear into a flash of golden light. Struggling to wake up, he managed to focus on the source before the light completely disappeared. The was coming from the Sennen Puzzle: More specifically, the Horus eye in the middle of the completed puzzle. The last piece meant to be placed inside.

'Does someone live in there?' Yugi wondered in amazement. His innocent mind allowed such thoughts, partly why he was so shunned and ridiculed by his peers. Yugi carefully stood, expecting himself to still be battered and broken from the beating, the clock on his desk only reading thirty minutes past where he had last seen it. However, the petite teen was shocked to find every last one of his injuries had been magically healed somehow. He rushed over the the Sennen Puzzle and took it happily in his hands.

"I knew it! I knew someone would be around for me if I finished this!" he cried happily, leaping into his bed as he joyfully clutched the puzzle to his chest. Yugi lay on his back and rubbed the Horus eye lightly. Nothing happened. "So you're not a genie..." the teen mused, a smirk forming on his face. "I know you're in there, you can't hide from me! Come out, I wanna meet you! And thank you properly too!" he added as an afterthought, his euphoria almost causing him to forget his manners. The Horus eye glowed brightly, but for some reason the light didn't blind Yugi.

Black clouds swirled out of the middle of the light and landed next to Yugi's bed. A darker, older version of him materialized, causing Yugi to gasp. The vampire looked at him with uncertainty.

"Are you all right, little one?" he asked, his heart still full of concern. Yugi pouted. He hated being called little.

"I'm not 'little one'! I'm Yugi! Yugi Mutou!" he said stubbornly, only making his pout all the cuter. The vampire smiled gently, pearly white fangs glinting slightly as his lips parted. Yugi's already wide amethyst eyes widened further. "You're... a vampire?"

The vampire's smile swiftly disappeared. He hung his head, wondering if he had just blown his chance with the boy. He sighed and said, "Yes, I am. My name is Yami, if you would like to know. At least, that is the name I was given after being sealed away."

"What's your real name?" Yugi asked innocently, causing Yami to look at him in surprise. The vampire had expected the boy to demand to know why he was sealed away, not ask him about himself. The vampire's crimson eyes blinked slowly as he tried to process the shock the teen had just put him through.

"I- Well, um.. It's Atemu," he stammered, completely caught off-guard by the boy's innocence. Seeing as how Yugi was repeatedly beaten day after day, he expected the boy to be... much less optimistic to say the least. Yugi grinned.

"Well, then your name is Yami Atemu now! Or would you prefer Atemu Yami?" he said brightly. The vampire was flabbergasted by the teen's bright and cheery behavior.

"Um... Yami Atemu is fine..." he mumbled, not sure how to react. Yugi's grin turned into a sweet smile.

"Okay, then, Yami. I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life. I know it was you who did something to heal my injuries, I saw you disappear into the puzzle as I woke up," Yugi said cheerfully, but more seriously than before. Yami sighed. He was glad to know that Yugi's joyful demeanor was no facade, and was saddened at the same time that one simple act of kindness had brought the boy so much joy that the vampire knew there was little of it in the teen's life. Yami watched as Yugi rooted around his room, searching for something among all the scattered toys and clothes. Finally, he found what he wanted and held it up to Yami.

It was a card. On the front was the picture of Osiris the Sky God monster, a beast that existed when he ruled as Pharaoh. Yami took it in shaky hands, staring at the exact replica the drawing had of the dragon. Yugi noticed Yami's reaction and beamed, happy that he could make his savior happy.

"That's Orisis-"

"-the Sky God, I know," Yami finished. "He was a powerful beast from ancient Egypt. Along with me, he and all the other Shadow Creatures were sealed away. I was sealed away as a guardian to protect them from falling into the hands of evil. I cannot believe someone has managed to harness their magic and bring them back into this world..."

"Wait, you mean Duel Monsters are REAL?" Yugi nearly shouted. Yami looked over at the boy, fearfully expecting horror and was once again shocked when he saw excitement plastered on the teen's face. Yugi laughed at the bewildered look on Yami's face. "I was always called crazy whenever I voiced this when I was little, but I can talk to certain Duel Monsters. Dark Magician is my favorite, and he once told me I looked like someone he once knew. That was you, wasn't it?"

"So Mahado still remembers me after all these years..." Yami muttered, more to himself than Yugi. Suddenly, Yami's face became serious as his gaze fell upon the card in his hand once again. "Have Obelisk the Tormentor and Ra the Sun God been made into cards as well?"

Yugi nodded, and Yami's heart sank. Yugi looked at his new friend's crestfallen face and quickly said, "But they weren't released to the public. I was given Osiris by the inventor of Duel Monsters himself, Pegasus J. Crawford. He said it belonged with my puzzle, and once I completed it, the other two would come to me as well. I don't know how he knew about the Sennen Puzzle, but he DID have a creepy eye engraved to look like the Horus eye."

Yami nodded, taking in all of this information. So this Pegasus person created Duel Monsters, had a Sennen item, and was cautiously giving the most powerful cards to Yugi. The vampire wondered exactly who this man was, and how he knew so much of the ancient past forgotten by Time himself?


	3. Chapter 3

Yami watched Yugi as he slept that night, not wanting to be in the puzzle if the boy woke up during the night and making him think he had dreamed all that. Being a vampire as a result of the sealing spell and by no means the result of a curse, Yami had no need to feed of the blood of another and could watch the boy contentedly with no pangs of bloodthirsty hunger. The vampire wished he could still sleep however: He'd love to be able to pass the time better. Deciding that Yugi wasn't the type to clean his room from the obvious state it was in, Yami had the charity to clean it for the boy, silently placing things where they belonged, carefully avoid waking the boy.

At 6:30 am, a loud beeping pierced Yami's ears, and he shrieked at the sound unintentionally. Yugi jumped out of bed and turned off the alarm clock on his desk. The petite teen turned to Yami, the vampire staring at the alarm clock like is was possessed. The boy's face broke into a grin.

"I take it they didn't have alarm clocks in your time?" he joked, placing the now silent object back on his desk. The boy yawned and stretched out his back, Yami feeling heat rushed to his cheeks. The boy was so innocent and pure: The vampire used every ounce of willpower to avoid tackling him onto the bed and... 'No, don't think like that. You are NOT a true creature of darkness!' Yami reprimanded himself.

He averted his eyes as Yugi shamelessly dressed into his school uniform in front of him. Obviously the boy had NO idea how difficult he was making this. Yami cleared his throat and Yugi looked at him as he buttoned up his blue school jacket.

"Yes?" he asked innocently. Yami turned away, blushing.

"Um... Do people in this time always get dressed in front of each other?" he asked. Yugi laughed.

"No, but in gym locker room, the boys have one area where they all get dressed and shower after gym. I'm sure the same goes for the girls, but I'm not like Jou - I don't even want to try to sneak in. More trouble than it's worth," the boy mumbled. Yami looked even more confused.

"Then why-?"

"Dunno," Yugi replied, knowing what Yami was going to ask from his previous question. "It just feels so natural to be around you, I just didn't think twice. I'll change in the bathroom next time." The teen smiled gently, but there was a hint of sadness there this time. Yami frowned.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I- I'm just not used to that sort of thing is all, it's no big deal," the vampire said quickly. Yugi nodded, but he still sensed that something was bothering the vampire. The teen looked around his room, noticing for the first time that he could see the floor.

"You cleaned my room!" he squealed, jumping onto the vampire in a huge hug and knocking them both to the floor. "Thank you! I HATE that chore!" The vampire chuckled, the laugh rumbling deep in his chest. Yugi got off of Yami and went to grab a steel chain off a hook. Yami looked at him puzzled before he saw Yugi put the Sennen Puzzle on the chain and slip it around his neck.

"Yugi?" the vampire asked in confusion.

"This way I can take you wherever I go! I assume since you were sealed inside the puzzle, you're still bound to it somehow. This should at least solve part of the problem," the boy said cheerfully. Yami nodded, tears of joy appearing in the corners of his eyes. Yugi grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "Come on! I don't wanna be late, I have Ms. Chrono for homeroom!" The boy made a disgusted face. Yami frowned at the ugly look marring the boy's perfectly cherubic face and disappeared into the puzzle in a flash of golden light, intending on teaching this Ms. Chrono a thing or two about treating innocent people right.


	4. Chapter 4

Yugi reached the school in record time, not needing to have woken up so early with an uninjured body. He practically skipped onto the school grounds, earning surprised looks from the people around him. They all wondered the same thing: Had the weird runt finally snapped?

People cautiously shied away from Yugi and his happy demeanor began to fall away. During his brief night of happiness, he had forgotten the reality of his school life. Turning away with crestfallen eyes, the petite teen began to head into the school. However, he was shocked when the Horus eye glowed and an enraged Yami came out, standing by Yugi's side. The teen looked up at the vampire in awed confusion, wondering why the man had come out in front of so many people. The vampire's crimson eyes glowered at the frightened crowd.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" he roared, his baritone voice echoing around the school grounds. Everyone trembled in fear at his magically enlarged voice. "How dare you bring sadness and pain to such an innocent person!"

"Yami!" Yugi shouted, making the vampire turn to him. The creature's eyes softened immediately and he looked worriedly at the boy, who was no crying. "Yami, that's not the way to get them to stop. The still won't be my friends if they fear me... Just got back for now, I don't want everyone more scared than they already are."

Yami looked down at the crying teen sadly. He had only been trying to help... Then again, Yugi had a point. Friendships gained by fear were just as fake as any others Yugi had experienced before meeting Yami. Sighing sadly, Yami returned to the puzzle in a flash of golden light as Yugi wiped the tears from his eyes. Now he'd never gain any friends here, he was sure of it. Not that that had been Yami's intention: Yugi knew he was trying to help, especially after the guilty look the vampire had on his face before disappearing.

Yugi didn't realize that his words and reaction to Yami's declaration had made an impression on a certain blond-haired delinquent. Jounouchi looked at the small kid with more respect than before. The kid was weak on the surface, but he had great inner strength. Too bad it only came out for the sake of others and not for himself. The boy schoolmate knew that mysterious appearing/vanishing man - '"Yami" was it,' Jou thought - wouldn't be allowed to defend Yugi from Ushio and his thugs after a stunt like that. The blond decided to take matters into his own hands. It was time his gang of friends found a reason for fighting...

-YGO-

I know, short, but it's how I broke it down on dA...


	5. Chapter 5

To yue-chan: Yes, this is based off Season 0 with Jou and Honda's relationship to Yugi.

-YGO-

Yugi walked home sadly after school that day. He knew Yami had only been trying to help, but that didn't change the fact that most potential friends now ran screaming in the other direction at the sight of him. The petite teen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't blame Yami for trying to help: After all, the vampire had saved him from DYING from yesterday's beating. But still... the boy was upset all the same. Inside the Sennen Puzzle, Yami watched Yugi sadly, wishing he could help but fearing he would make matters worse for the boy.

A familiar and very unwelcome chuckle reached the two people's ears. Yami growled low, baring his fangs as he recognized the laughter to belong to the one who had harmed his aibou so badly the day before. Even though the puzzle wasn't completed at the time, it was completed enough for Yami to become aware of his surroundings.

Yugi looked up at the towering bully fearfully. Ushio grinned maliciously, cracking his knuckles in a VERY threatening manner. "So, not gonna call out your bulldog?" the bully sneered. Yugi backed away, white-faced. He couldn't call out Yami and confirm everyone's suspicions that he was a vicious creature. Yugi backed straight into a wall, and he looked at the three thuggish bullies, Ushio's two most loyal flunkies having gained the honor to join him.

The black-haired giant began throwing the first punch. Yugi closed his eyes and flinched, but the blow never landed. He looked up, eyes widened in surprise as he saw a blond-haired teen in a green jacket using one hand to block Ushio's punch an the other to hold his massive leg that had swung out sideways in a rolling kick.

"Jounouchi-kun..." Yugi breathed, not able to believe this turn of events. The blond lifted his head to look past the giants.

"Now guys!" he shouted. Honda and Ootachi appeared out of nowhere and knocked the two cronies out before they knew what hit them. Jou flipped Ushio onto his back, using the bully's own massive bulk against him in the awkward position Jou had grabbed him in. The delinquent stomped on Ushio's most sensitive spot (A/N: OUCH!) and grinned in triumph at the bully rolling on the ground, howling in pain as he clutching his groin. Honda and Ootachi walked up laughing.

"You were right, Jou! Coming to someone's defense IS more fun than random streetfights!" Honda guffawed. Jou winked and turned to Yugi, who was frozen from a mix of shock and awe.

"Yer not hurt, are ya?" the blond teen asked, kneeling so he was Yugi's height. Yugi shook his head slowly. Jou punched him lightly on the cheek in a show of friendship. "Good. I was 'friad we'd gotten here too slow."

"You- you came to help me?" the petite teen stammered, amethyst eyes widening in realization. Jou nodded.

"Afta ya stood up ta yer friend -um, Yami, right? - I realized you wasn't the wuss I t'ought you was. Ya just don' have a mean bone in yer body, which made ya look like one. Honestly, I t'ink hangin' out wit'cha would do us some good. We don' wanna wind up like DOSE goons," Jou said, flicking a thumb at the three unconscious bullies on the ground. (A/N: Ushio was knocked out by the pain. YEOWCH!)

Yugi nodded, then gasped. "Does- does this mea-?"

"Do ya 'onestly hav'ta ask? We jus' saved yer ass, Yug! O'course we're buds now. Honda, 'Tachi, and I look out fer our own."

Yugi smiled, tears coming to his eyes. He had to thank Yami for giving him this chance. If he hadn't shown Jou he had a backbone, he never would have made 4 loyal friends in just a day.


	6. Chapter 6

Yugi walked home with his three new friends surrounding him. Yugi had spoken into the Horus eye to try to get Yami out, and the vampire chuckled, saying to use the "mind link" next time to avoid looking strange. Nevertheless, the vampire came out, earning gasps from the other three. By that time all five were in Yugi's living room, waiting for Yami to emerge. The vampire smiled shyly, not wanting to reveal to Yugi's new friends was he was and scare them away.

Jou was the first to talk. "Wow. Ya look like an ancient Egyptian Phara' with DAT getup. Bu' i neva knew vampires existed in 'Gypt," he commented, admiring the tan-skinned vampire. Yami looked at him in shock.

"Now, Jou, enough with the tall-," Ootachi began, but was cut off by Yami.

"How?" he asked quietly, Ootachi and Honda looking at the two in shock. 'You mean this guy's a real VAMPIRE?' the both thought incredulously. Jou smiled.

"Red eyes. Dead give-away, if ya don' mind the pun," the blond grinned. Yami sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that IS a bit unusual. They were once lavender - actually lighter than Yugi's amethyst, if you can believe that. But I'm not a vampire as the result of a curse. I guess you could say the spell that sealed me away in the Puzzle to protect the world from Shadow Games turned me into a vampire-like creature so I would never die... Kinda strange, actually. The priests all assumed I would become nothing more than a spirit the needed the Puzzle to survive. No one expect me to survive the spell," Yami mused, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yugi looked up at Yami in wonder. "You mean, you SACRIFICED yourself? You weren't already near death when they sealed you away?"

"Pretty much. I was even more powerful than the priests when it came to using Shadow Magic and controlling Shadow Creatures, so I would have been the natural choice. I practically had to threaten my High Priest with death if he should chose another, knowing he knew I was the only one strong enough to control Ra, Osiris, and Obelisk at the same time."

A strangled squeak escaped Honda''s throat. Ootachi turned his green eyes to Yami in shock, and Jou nearly fell out of his chair at that declaration. All three recognized the names of the Legendary God Beasts of Duel Monsters. Jou was the first to recover.

"Ya- ya mean... Dese Shadow Creatures, dere- dere DUEL MONSTERS NOW!" he cried out in terrified shock. Yami nodded solemnly.

"Looks like you failed, bud," Ootachi said pessimistically. Yugi frowned.

"Not necessarily. Yami already had one of the God Beasts, and I'm sure Pegasus will give him the other two as well!" the petite teen declared, causing three pairs of eyes to swivel in his direction and one to close in exhaustion.

"How the HELL did HE get THAT already?" Honda nearly screamed. Yugi smiled.

"Pegasus somehow knew I had the Sennen Puzzle and gave it to me in secret at the end of a tournament. He promised I would get the other two when the Puzzle was completed, but I think that promise was really meant for Yami."

"This is too much for one conversation. Especially on an empty stomach. WHO'S UP FOR PIZZA!" Ootachi declared. There were shouts of different orders from the other two, causing a scuffle to start. The black-haired teen pulled them apart as if bored, and Yugi realzed that was a common occurrence. A green eye winked at Yugi and Ootachi said, "Let's have our host decide."

Yugi smiled, realizing his new group of friends was going to make his life VERY interesting.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, what does our host want to order?" Ootachi said, grinning mischievously. Yugi, unaware of the prankster's intentions, told him his favorite pizza: Sausage, red pepper, and pineapple. (A/N: I take no credit for the "Mutou Special" created by SilverEmerald-DAS. xDDD Yes, I'm a fan!)

"Hmmm... I think we now know the origin of the Mutou Special, boys!" Ootachi declared, grinning widely. He sooo wanted to play a prank, but finding out this wonderfully brave, strangely shy boy was the reason their favorite pizza was now on the menu as an easy-to-order special, he decided against it. His eyes turned to Honda.

"Oh, no, it ain't comin' outta MY pocket, no way!" the brown-haired teen declared, waving his hands the air. "And why does Yugi get special treatment? We didn't when we were in the same spot, Mr. Prankster!"

"Because Yugi is the creator of the Great 'Mutou Special' and I cannot allow him to pay for his own creation," the black-haired teen said devilishly, eyes glittering like emerald gems. Honda gulped. 'Damn, he knows those seductive eyes are my weakness! Why did I have to fall for a prankster?' Honda thought miserably, coughing up the cash. Ootachi grinned widely, Yugi innocently not understanding what had happened at all.

After a large meal of a whole pie for each of them (they were surprised when Yami requested one too, but asked nothing further), the gang hung out on the living room floor, Yugi and Jou playing a few games of Duel Monsters to teach Yami. The game differed slightly from the Shadow Games of ancient Egypt, and Yami was relieved that people with no or low magical power could play the game with no issues. He worried about whether he would be able to control his strong Shadow powers enough to limit the cards to just simple playing cards. He had never been put in such a predicament before, the monsters having never been used for true "games" but rather "games of war" meant to settle national and foreign disputes with little bloodshed.

Yami shifted uncomfortably as he was well aware the spirits of the Shadow Creatures he had known three millenia ago now dwelt within fragile playing cards instead of sturdy blocks of stone. As Yugi played the Dark Magicain, he could swear he saw the card spirit hovering over the card and carrying out Yugi's commands. No one else seemed to notice it. 'No, wait...' Yami thought, realizing Yugi's eyes followed a direct line from the Dark Magician staff along the path of his attack everytime. Yugi could see him! 'Does that mean... Yugi possesses strong Shadow Powers of his own? Does his maintained innocence keep it buried?' Yami asked himself, watching Yugi watch the Dark Magician follow out his orders again. If Yugi could somehow control powers he wasn't even aware of, then the 3,000 year old vampire could definitely find a way.

Too soon for anyone's liking, Jou, Ootachi, and Honda noticed how late it was getting and grudgingly trudged out the door to head to their own homes. They all wished they could stay with Yugi: He'd been much more fun to get to know than they had ever hoped for, and it was a blast to be his friend. His cheerful attitude and optimistic nature had lifted their spirits greatly in that one afternoon, and they couldn't wait to hang out with their new friend again.

Yugi closed the door behind the trio, sighing happily as he leaned against the back of the wood frame (they had used the side door). He finally opened his eyes and looked straight into Yami's crimson pools. The vampire's breath caught at the look in those eyes: pure, tender innocence and affection. Yami smiled gently and Yugi came over, surprising the vampire with a warm hug.

"Thank you," the petite teen mumbled into Yami's solid chest. Yami was puzzled.

"What for?" the vampire asked, confused.

"For making this all possible," Yugi said sleepily. The roller coaster ride of emotions he had been on that day and Yami caught the boy as he fell asleep leaning against the vampire. Yami sighed softly, wishing he could tell Yugi how he felt. 'Not yet,' he reminded himself. Instead, he took Yugi up to the boy's bedroom and tucked him in before returning to the darkness of the Puzzle to see if that could allow him to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Yugi woke up the next morning, confused for a moment as to how he had gotten into bed. Then he remembered he had fallen asleep against Yami while hugging him. 'Shoot!' Yugi thought, rushing over to his desk. He groaned. Of course the vampire wouldn't know how to set the alarm, let alone he had to do so EVERY night before bed. Yugi set the clock down, it's digital face reading 11:06 am. Way to late to even try to make an excuse as to why he was tardy. Yugi sighed. He supposed he was playing hooky for the first time in his life.

Yugi brushed his teeth and got dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, walking barefoot down the stairs to fix something to eat. He was surprised by the scent of delicious spicy foods already being cooked. He raced into the kitchen, expecting to see Jii-chan, but burst into laughter at the sight before him.

Ootachi, Honda, and Jou had ditched school upon finding Yugi hadn't been in and came over to his house to see if he was okay. They had found him still asleep and correctly assumed he had been exhausted from the previous days' events, so they went to the kitchen to attempt to fix him some food. "Attempt" may have been too generous of a word. It looked like they had used the excuse to start a food fight in the kitchen. Blobs of spicy smelling goop dripped from the ceiling, splattered on the wall, and covered the bulk of the trios' warring figures, paused as statues at the surprise of Yugi's hearty laughter. Finally, the three joined in, seeing what they all looked like and the mess they had made.

"Go... *snicker* shower, you three... *giggle* There's two bathrooms, so two of you will have to *snort* share!" Yugi managed to get out before falling into heaps of hysterical laughter. Yami appeared behind him and gawked at the sight.

"Um...," he said staring. Finally, he couldn't help himself either and began laughing as well, though keeping his composure and managing to let out his mirth in a light-hearted bout of chuckles. "Honda, Ootachi, you two get the big shower on this floor. Jou, you take the one in Yugi's bedroom."

"Why Honda and Ootachi? I thought Honda and Jou had been friends longer?" Yugi asked innocently as he regained his composure as well. Yami chuckled and the three boys looked at Yugi in shock.

"I'll explain to you later. I think you may just be a tad bit too innocent for your own good," Yami said, the trio getting the hint and walking off the their respective bathrooms, tracking spicy smelling goop along the wooden floors. Yami took Yugi to the living room, not sure how this "talk" would affect their relationship. Would it make Yugi think of him as more a father, or a brother? Or did some humans go out of their way to help naive friends like this? Yami pushed his worries aside, knowing Yugi's dangers were greater than his own feelings.


End file.
